Husband was cheating on mother of four kids found in Amazon jungle

EXCLUSIVE: Shattered mother of the four children found in the Amazon jungle learned her husband of seven years was CHEATING on her – and without telling family fled with her kids on fateful airplane journey that killed her, brother reveals

• Manuel Ranoque – who is the father of two of the four siblings– left their mother and wife of seven years Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia for another woman
• Valencia’s brother Dairo Mucutuy told DailyMail.com about Ranoque’s betrayal and how he left the mother dangling with hope they could mend the relationship
• Dairo said it was that hope that led her to suddenly – and without her family’s knowledge – gather up her children for the fateful aircraft journey 

The father of two of four plane crash children rescued from the Colombian jungle after 40 days was cheating on their mother who was killed in the horror, her anguished family told DailyMail.com.

Manuel Ranoque – who has been highly vocal about claiming his rights over all four survivors – left mom Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia at their Indigenous community for Bogota alleging he was being threatened by FARC guerrillas in their homeland area.

But once in the sprawling capital city, the father of the two younger children had an affair and then brought the woman back to live in the southern tribal area – shattering his wife of seven years, her brother Dairo Mucutuy exclusively told DailyMail.com.

Ranoque later left for Bogota again, but kept the mom-of-four dangling with hope that they could re-establish a relationship, Dairo, 30, told us.

And it was that hope amid her partner’s affair that led her to suddenly – and without her family’s knowledge – gather up her children for the fateful light aircraft journey from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to the town of San Jose del Guaviare en route to the nation’s capital.

Manuel Ranoque – who is the father of two of the four siblings– allegedly left their mother and wife of seven years Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia for another woman

Mother-of-four Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia’s brother Dairo Mucutuy told DailyMail.com about Ranoque’s betrayal and how he left the mother dangling with hope they could mend the relationship

Dairo said it was that hope that led her to suddenly- and without her family’s knowledge – gather up her children for the fateful aircraft journey 

Sitting in the lobby of his Bogota hotel, Dairo calmly revealed to us: ‘What happened is that Manuel had come to this city and here he cheated on my sister.

‘The thing is, he took the woman he cheated with back to the community. So my sister of course left their house because of the affair and came to live with me and my partner and two children.’

Valenica died in the plane crash along with the pilot and an Indigenous leader

Dairo, who has come to the capital from his base in the Huitoto Indigenous group homeland to offer his support for the surviving children, continued: ‘Manuel went back to Bogota, but he left a bag for her and inside was a piece of paper with a phone number.

‘Magdalena was communicating with him. But we noticed when she talked with him she would hide. And we would sometimes hear her crying.

‘We believe somehow she was fooled into trying to come to Bogota. We are not exactly sure of the reasons.’

Tragically, the engine on the 17-year-old blue and white Cessna light aircraft carrying Magdalena and the four siblings failed and the plane crashed in deep undergrowth on May 1 at Solano, Caqueta, near the Ecuador border.

Lesly Jacombaire Mucutuy, 13, Soleiny Jacombaire Mucutuy, nine, Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy, four, and one-year-old Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy survived the impact and astonishingly stayed alive for 40 days in the snake-infested jungle before being rescued in a story that has gripped the world.

They remain recovering from their ordeal in a military hospital in Bogota, amid accusations that a custody battle has broken out over them between the mother’s side of the family and Ranoque.

Dairo’s father Narciso Mucutuy – grandfather to the children – has accused Ranoque of beating Magdalena, but has refused to go into further details. And Ranoque has admitted tension with his late wife. Asked on Monday if he had ever attacker her, he confessed: ‘Verbally, sometimes, yes. Physically, very little. We had more verbal fights.’

And again on Tuesday, DailyMail.com directly asked Ranoque about the wife beating allegations when he appeared outside the hospital. He refused to be drawn. 

He told us: ‘That’s what I can’t talk about. I can’t say anything. They’ve forbidden me from saying anything. These are personal issues.’ 

Additionally, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare has assigned a case officer to the children at the request of their maternal grandparents.

However, DailyMail.com is able to reveal the full background to the tragedy that is now pitting outspoken Ranoque against the family of the children’s mother.

Additionally, we can reveal the identity of Lesly and Soleiny’s father as Andres Jacombaire, who is also in Bogota to support his children as the drama continues and questions are asked over their future.

DailyMail.com spoke to Valencia’s brother Dairo as he sat in the lobby of his Bogota hotel. ‘We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the children,’ Dairo said. ‘The most painful thing is my sister never said goodbye to us’

The four indigenous children are pictured after being rescued. They were missing for six weeks in the Colombian Amazon jungle after a plane crash 

Exclusive photos show the four siblings, Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, four, and baby Cristin, one, safe in their hospital beds at a military hospital in Bogota, Colombia 

‘We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the children,’ Dairo said. ‘The most painful thing is my sister never said goodbye to us.

‘We didn’t get to talk. It hurt when I found out what was happening between her and Manuel. I am so sad I never got to talk to her properly about it. I felt I didn’t want to pressure her about something that was so difficult for her.

‘I was waiting for the right moment. But that moment never came because she obviously made her decision to leave and we didn’t know about it.

‘Right before, she came to a community meeting and we thought she was going on to our aunt’s house. We didn’t know her goal was to take that plane. Maybe she felt confused. We’ll never know now.’

Amid the growing acrimony over the children’s future, Dairo told us: ‘The hope is for the kids to stay together, because of what they went through.

‘Lesly got them all through this. And that makes a special bond. We want them always to stay together and that Manuel does not fight for custody.

‘I have talked to the older two’s father, Andres. He has seen the children and he told me that this is not the time for fighting and division. It is the time to focus on the well-being, safety and comfort of the children.’

Referring to his mother Maria Fatima Valencia, Dairo continued: ‘Maybe it would be fine for them to stay with their grandmother.

‘Eventually they are going to go through psychiatric assistance as well as their medical help. That will be through the Colombian government.

‘And then, only then, are we going to decide who will take custody of the kids.’

Two of the children made touching colored drawings of Wilson the Belgian Shepherd rescue dog who went missing during the mission to save them. The drawings were revealed when the head of the Colombian armed forces, General Helder Giraldo visited the children in the hospital

In Lesly’s drawing, six-year-old Wilson is depicted next to a river full of fish, a tree, some yellow flowers and with the sun shining on a pathway

Belgian Shepherd Wilson played a vital role in tracking down the four children but remains missing in the Amazon rainforest

Ranoque has appeared outside the military hospital several times since the children were taken there on Saturday after their astonishing rescue by Colombian military who launched a desperate mission after the crash.

His version of events has varied considerably with the other side of the family.

On Sunday, he asserted that Magdalena was alive for four days after the plane crash, saying: ‘Let’s be clear, the girl (Lesly) knows everything.

‘The only thing that she clarified is that the mother was alive for four days. Before she died… she told them ‘Go!’ And you will find out what your dad is made of… and what your father’s love is like.’

However Dairo dismissed the story and its sentiment. He confirmed to DailyMail.com that Magdalena tragically died instantly and gave more heartbreaking details of the horror.

‘Lesly has said that on impact, her mother died,’ Dairo told us. ‘And that when she saw the bodies, the baby (Cristin) was moving so she pulled the baby out.

‘The baby was with the mother. It is false that he was saying that she was alive four days. She died on impact.’

Of Manuel’s statements, Dairo – who thoughtfully considered every answer to our questions before speaking – said: ‘I know he’s trying to create something.’

Ranoque has appeared outside the military hospital several times since the children were taken there on Saturday after their astonishing rescue. He has been highly vocal about claiming his rights over all four survivors

Dairo confirmed to DailyMail.com that his sister tragically died instantly on impact and gave more heartbreaking details of the horror

‘But we want to say things as they are. We don’t want different stories going around. He’s saying one thing, we are sticking to what we know.

‘And I know he might be doing this to create some kind of conflict. We don’t want to go there.’ Then he warned: ‘But if we have to go there, we are going to stand our ground.’

Dairo also condemned Manuel’s allegation that he has been threatened by FARC guerrillas and that was the reason for vanishing and asking Magdalena to join him in Bogota… claiming she and the children were also under threat.

‘Saying those words is very dangerous,’ said Dairo. ‘That is also potentially making us all in the spotlight. It’s a very serious thing to say. There is no evidence he was threatened. But the consequences of his words could create a dangerous situation for all our family.’

DailyMail.com’s revelations follow our exclusive pictures of the four children recovering in the hospital, on the mend and playing with pink stuffed animals.

We also revealed moving colored drawings done by Lesly and Soleiny of missing rescue dog Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd who played a key role in finding them.

The drawings obtained by DailyMail.com were given to the head of Colombia’s armed forces, General Helder Giraldo, when he visited the children on Monday.

Soldiers of the Colombian Air Force treat one of the children rescued from the Colombian jungle during the operation on June 9

Soldiers of the Colombian Air Force and employees of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) give medical attention inside a plane to the surviving children of a Cessna 206 plane crash

In Lesly’s drawing, six-year-old Wilson is depicted next to a river full of fish, a tree, some yellow flowers and with the sun shining on a pathway.

Soleiny’s image was similar, with Wilson near a tree, a flower and the sun beaming. One side of the drawing has the Colombian flag and the message ‘Always blessed’.

Grandfather Narciso said: ‘They are making them make drawings… something that they need in order to express themselves.’

Rescue dog Wilson was presumed lost a few days before the siblings were found after he ran away from his handlers, until rescue teams found his footprints near those of the children.

The loyal canine stayed with the children for several days before being lost once again and despite proving crucial to the search mission, which was codenamed ‘Esperanza’, the Spanish word for hope, has not been found.

Dramatic new details of the children’s astonishing ordeal were also revealed by grandfather Narciso on Monday evening. Two other people died in the crash, the pilot and an Indigenous leader.

He said: ‘When she (Lesly) realized her mother was already dead, she saw the little feet of her little sister among the three dead bodies.

‘She pulled the kid out. And then she immediately saw the others were injured then she headed to open the mothers bag, took out some clothes and started ripping them apart and starting bandaging.

He said there were 3lb of flour on board. ‘They stayed around the airplane for four days to see if anyone would pick them up,’ he continued.

‘But then after four days went by they took off. But she said she didn’t know which way to go. Then after a while they started leaving tracks everywhere they would sleep in case anyone would be looking for them, it would help find them.’

He also revealed: ‘When they were hearing helicopters they would hide under the large trees because they were fearful.

‘And when members of the community and military would be looking for them she (Lesly) would see them 10 meters away and they would hide and stay still and cover the mouth of the little one so she wouldn’t cry.

‘When the indigenous members of the community were seeking them around the area, the kids would never respond because they thought if they would find them they would give them toys for hiding – and this is why they wouldn’t respond to the people calling out for them.’

The incredible rescue was against all odds. The children survived in a jungle crawling with snakes, jaguars and other predators. Their survival was helped by the 3lb of cassava flour that was on the plane.

When found, they were dehydrated, malnourished and bitten by insects but are otherwise healthy, rescuers said.

Grandmother Maria, whose voice was played from aircraft above the jungle during the search to reassure the youngsters they were being looked for, told reporters: ‘I never lost hope,

‘I was always supporting the search. I feel very happy.’

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who has visited them in hospital, said after the rescue: ‘They are children of the jungle, and now they are also children of Colombia.’

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